Category / Read / Commentary

Are Canadians really falling for fake news?

By Christopher Waddell, Publisher I have been a grocery shopper for about 40 years. During that time in checkout lines I have read about cars that can run on water that the oil industry keeps secret from us, the pregnancies and affairs of hundreds of politicians and celebrities, regular UFO invasions of the earth hushed…
CBC Ombudsman: Beware of generalizations

By Esther Enkin, CBC Ombudsman The complainant, Mr. Marco Mura, objected to the characterization of the government of Turkey as “fundamentalist.” I agree that the term is too broad to be accurate in this context. Adjectives are seldom a news writer’s friend. COMPLAINT On December 7, 2016, The World at Six ran a feature about…
Why freedom of the press should apply in Indigenous communities

By Wawmeesh Hamilton Freedom of the press enables citizens to know about the things that public bodies do that impact them. It’s what enabled me to report on civic affairs for a community newspaper for seven years. I reported about city taxes, school board decisions and regional district swearings in of new First Nations members.…
CBC Ombudsman: What do reporters need to reveal upfront -The case of Marketplace’s Weddings Inc.

By Esther Enkin, CBC Ombudsman The complainant, Catherine Lash, said she would never have let a Marketplace crew into her wedding show if she had known who they were. The crew should have been more intentional in identifying itself. She was concerned that her company is tarnished because shots of the event are in the…
After living abroad, I can’t find a journalism job in Canada

This story was funded by the J-Source Patreon campaign. By Shelley Pascual When I completed my International Journalism MA degree in the U.K. last year, I had no idea that of all the countries in the world to land a journalism job, it’d prove trickiest in the country that I’m from, Canada. And I’m not just referring…
Journalism students can play a key part in building sustainable journalism models

By Magda Konieczna Missing from the Shattered Mirror report’s recommendations for Canadian journalism were insights about journalism education. A panel discussion at last week’s Canadian Communication Association conference in Toronto aimed to fill that gap. It also reflected the challenges inherent in teaching journalism against the backdrop of an evolving and struggling industry, something that…
Toronto Star Public Editor: Public Editor cannot be one-person panacea to reader trust problem

By Kathy English for the Toronto Star Ten years ago this month, I signed on to what would turn out to be the most challenging job of my life in journalism. I knew that serving as the Star’s public editor would not be an easy task. It is widely regarded as the worst job in journalism and…
Canadaland’s book puts down instead of sends up — and that’s a good thing

The guidebook rages against the Canadian establishment, providing an exhilarating read for our critic.
Toronto Star Public Editor: Respect, dignity and fairness conveyed in capital letters

A step forward: The Toronto Star, rightly, will now capitalize Indigenous and Black.
‘Foreign’ reporting is so last century, let’s remake it

Why UBC students teamed with peers in Colombia, China and India to tell ‘Surviving the City’ stories.